This past week, a tragedy occurred in my hometown. A bridge just a few miles from where I grew up unexpectedly collapsed during rush hour. I remember the shock I felt when I heard about it. There were frantic phone calls to ensure that people I knew were okay. Thankfully they were although a friend's son was just coming up to the bridge when it collapsed. He saw it happen.

As I watched the news, I heard people making statements like, "I'll never drive over another bridge." That's tough to do in a city bordered by two rivers and an area with a lot of lakes!

I remembered the collapse of another bridge probably about 10 or 15 years ago. We were still living in Minneapolis and were about a mile away. This was another bridge on the Mississippi. We were close enough to hear it. In this instance, a new bridge was being built beside an old bridge. Once completed, the old bridge would be torn down.

While construction workers were on the new bridge, something caught their attention and they decided the bridge inspector needed to come out to make sure things were okay. The inspector was just sitting down to dinner when he got the call. He headed out saying that he would be back soon. While he was inspecting the new bridge (he was the only one on it), it suddenly collapsed. He didn't make it.

It would be easy to say, "I'm just going to avoid all bridges.Then I'll be safe." The reality is; the only place of safety for our soul is in God's hands. We live in a world filled with uncertainty and danger. If we're not careful, we can become paralyzed by fear which not only renders us ineffective; it can also destroy us.

Pondering all of these things, I turned to my Bible and read these wonderful words:

God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.

Therefore we will not fear,
though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,

though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.

I was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer in December 2007, a few months after I joined CB and went through treatment. Two years later, without any warning, a cerebral aneurysm ruptured when I was asleep. It is only by the grace of God that I not only survived but that I am able to type these words today. Though we may face trouble, we do not have to be victims of our circumstances, we can be victors over them through Jesus Christ. (Romans 8:35-39)